The 49ers’ decision to keep Jimmy Garoppolo surely has paid off, but it might not have been the perfect outcome for San Francisco, had Garoppolo landed with another team.
One team who showed major interest in Garoppolo was the Washington Commanders. It was set to become a reality until the 30-year-old QB underwent surgery on his throwing shoulder back in March, ESPN's Tim Keown and Nick Wagoner reported, citing sources.
"I can tell you there were really serious talks with probably two, three teams," 49ers general manager John Lynch said in early September. "I felt -- you'd have to ask them -- like it was going to happen."
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Like many other teams eyeing Garoppolo in the offseason, the Commanders pulled the plug on pursuing the veteran signal-caller and traded for Indianapolis Colts quarterback Carson Wentz.
As fewer and fewer teams showed interest in Garoppolo, the 49ers' options began to diminish. When San Francisco wasn’t able to find a trade partner, it was left with two choices: Cut him or keep him.
Had the 49ers cut Garoppolo, the Cleveland Browns were "absolutely" ready to go all-in on him, ESPN reported, citing sources. And the timing of it all made the most sense on both ends after news broke that quarterback Deshaun Watson would serve an 11-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on personal conduct.
But of course, that didn't happen, and after the 49ers tried all offseason to find Garoppolo a new home, the quarterback agreed to take a pay cut to stay in the Bay as Trey Lance's backup.
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That decision sparked heated conversations across the league at first, but it paid off when Lance went down with a season-ending ankle injury in San Francisco’s Week 2 win over the Seattle Seahawks.
With Lance out for the remainder of the 2022 season after just five quarters of football, the 49ers -- somehow, some way -- are once again Garoppolo’s team.